OCT Youth Network

Detailed description of project Back

The Technical Assistance for the Development and Implementation of the OCT Youth Network project supports the strengthening of youth engagement across the 13 Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) associated with the European Union, in line with the EU Youth Action Plan (YAP) launched in 2022, the EU Youth Strategy 2019–2027, and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Funded by the European Union under Framework Contract SEA 2023 – Lot 12, and anchored in the Decision on Overseas Association, including Greenland (DOAG), the project aims to deepen the ties between young people living in the OCTs and the EU, enhance youth ownership of the EU-OCT partnership, and foster co-creation in shaping policies and programmes of direct relevance to OCT youth.

The assignment focuses on setting up, animating, and steering successive cohorts of the OCT Youth Network — a structured group of up to 25 young representatives (aged 18–28) from Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, French Polynesia, French Southern and Antarctic Territories, Greenland, New Caledonia, Saba, Saint-Barthélemy, Saint-Pierre and Miquelon, Sint Eustatius, Sint Maarten, and Wallis and Futuna. Key areas of intervention include the design and management of a transparent selection process, the facilitation of regular dialogue between OCT youth and DG INTPA, EU Delegations/offices and the OCTA Secretariat, the organisation of study visits to the EU institutions, the delivery of webinars on EU programmes and opportunities, the integration of youth voices into the OCTs–EU Forum and OCTA Ministerial Conference, and the creation of linkages with similar youth structures such as the INTPA Youth Sounding Board, Youth4Europe and the European Youth Forum.

Through a combination of network animation, capacity-building, peer-to-peer learning, digital collaboration tools, and targeted communication activities, the project contributes to a more connected, informed and empowered OCT youth constituency, aligned with the EU’s three-pillar approach to working with young people — engage, empower and connect — and supporting the long-term visibility and sustainability of the EU-OCT partnership.

Type of services provided

The assignment provides technical assistance to DG INTPA and, where relevant, to EU Delegations/offices, the OCTA Secretariat, and other EU institutions and Member States, to support the development and animation of the OCT Youth Network in line with the EU Youth Action Plan and the DOAG. The services include:

• Design and roll-out of the selection process and outreach strategy for three successive OCT-YN cohorts, with tailored approaches for harder-to-reach territories ;
• Onboarding, network animation and facilitation of biannual meetings, including agenda, content, interpretation (EN/FR) and reporting ;
• Organisation of study visits to the EU institutions in Brussels, in coordination with OCTA, DG COMM and Member States ;
• Support to OCT-YN participation in the OCTs–EU Forum and the preparation of a joint “Youth Declaration”;
• Design and delivery of webinars on EU programmes and opportunities (Erasmus+, European Solidarity Corps, etc.) ;
• Set-up and management of an online collaboration platform and linkages with similar youth structures (e.g. INTPA Youth Sounding Board) ;
• Logistical support for travel, field visits with EU Delegations, and alumni engagement.

Key Personnel Provided:

• Senior Expert / Team Leader (216 w/d);
• Junior Expert (168 w/d);
• Administrative Assistant (59 w/d).